Meezer Rule Wednesday

Well, my rule today would be, if your sibling constantly sticks his nose in your bum after you have come back from the Vet Place, then you have every right to whap him/her round the head until he/she backs off and leaves you in peace!

I did OK last night and ate well and was relatively perky considering, and I clambered all over Meowmie when she was eating her dinner (she had chicken, what did she expect!)...but at around 10pm I got a bit quiet. I went to bed with Meowmie and Castle but when Meowmie woke up at 6.30am I was sitting in the hallway, peacefully on my own. I didn't want any breakfast either. Meowmie wanted to take another day off work and be with me but I looked at her and told her to go get the Vet Tokens, we will need them!!! So in case I was in pain she gave me an opiate-based pain-killer and then a periactin appetite stimulant to give me a boost. Just before she left I decided that I wanted to sit quietly in my Habitat paper bag, alone. Meowmie came over and gave me some strokes and kisses on the 'X' on my nose and I settled down in my bag for a litle chill-out. Hopefully I will have perked up a little by the time she gets home (aren't I clever...blogging without her help!).

When Meowmie got to work she called Ben Vet and he said that I am probably feeling the effects of yesterday's chemo - he reassured Meowmie that it wouldn't be something drastic like my White Blood Cell (WBC) count falling to a level that would make me ill - it is too soon after the chemo and impossible to happen in such a short time-frame. The anti-nausea I was given yesterday lunchtime should in theory work for 24hrs, so Ben Vet didn't think it is nausea that is making me quiet and puttin me off my food. He also said to Meowmie that he and Caroline Vet had a very good feel around my problem area yesterday and I showed no signs of pain when they were squeezing me and stuff - so this is what makes him think it is possibly the chemo making me feel odd. If I don't eat tonight or tomorow morning though I have to go back and see Ben Vet for some fluids and stuff in the morning.

My adorable friend and face-twin Yao-Lin sent me this picture he made yesterday, with the following message "Here is a little picture for you, just to let you know that I am thinking of you during this dreadful time. You are my face twin - rest assured I am with you all the way, my fighting friend. I promise that you will never be far from my thoughts and I will pray for your speedy recovery as often as felinely possible". I am so honoured that Yao-Lin did this for me - what a bootiful gesture, I hope he doesn't mind me showing his softer side to the Blogosphere...See if you can spot who is who! If we had had kittens together they would have been show-stoppers!



We have been checking out blogs and stuff, but not commenting so much. We are totally overwhelmed by all the support out there for us...it is just unbelievable that so many kitties and beans are sending me so much love and strength. If love and strength could cure cancer I would have been back in remission within moments of telling you all I had it again. Thank you xxx

Toxic Tuesday

I'm am now officially toxic. Here's my day...

I was quiet this morning when Meowmie woke up, and did not want any foods at all, I licked my lips and backed away from the food bowl when Meowmie tried to tempt me, and I had a watery mouth. This means I was feeling sickie. I wasn't supposed to eat this morning anyway cos of the impending chemo so it is a blessing in disguise that I didn't want foods...

My favourite driver collected me this morning, the lovely one from Bangladesh. I checked in at the Vet Place and Ben Vet explained the protocol to us that I will follow:

Induction Protocol - 8 weeks
- Vincristine weekly
- Cyclophosphamide every two weeks
- Prednisolone steroid daily for 7 days then every other day
- Blood samples at weeks 2, 4, 6 and 8.

Maintenance protocol (if we get that far) as follows:
(insert one week off treatment for every week on treatment)
- Vincristine every 2 weeks for 8 doses
- Cyclophosphamide as induction protocol for on weeks, no treatment in off weeks.
- Prednisolone steroid every other day.
- Increase interval between treatments to 4 weeks after 8 cycles of fortnightly vincristine

Ben Vet said if I am slow to respond that he may bung a dose of Doxyrubicin into the protocol from time to time to give the lymphoma a good blast of chemo.

The Meowmies then left me, I purred so hard for them not to go and I headbutted them but they had to leave me there so I could get treated. Ben Vet and Caroline Vet put me on a drip and got some fluids into me to build up my strength ready for the chemo. They also did some blood tests. The tests were all OK but the platelet count was a little high which can indicate bleeding (amongst some other very normal, unworrying things), but there is no sign of bleeding in my poos and other bodily fluids. Ben Vet was not overly concerned by this as a higher platelet count is to be expected with lymphoma and cancer. Ben Vet will monitor this though as it could also be a sign that there is a problem with my bone marrow - although none of the other stuff in my blood indicated any bone marrow problems, which is good! My weight has dropped to 3.55kgs from 3.75kgs, which is not great, but to be expected.

I spent most of the day on fluids and then Caroline Vet and Ben vet safely administered my chemo and then I waited for Meowmie to come and get me at 4.30pm. We hadn't seen Caroline Vet for AGES! She was sad my lymphoma had come back too and she reassured Meowmie that I would get the best care and lots of love in their practice. I did get LOTS of fuss made of me today in fact...Nurse Ann even gave me a special blanket for me to hide under in my patient pod!

I am home now, I have eaten well and Castle hasn't hissed at me yet - he hates the vet smells on me. I am a little sleepy but not aloof and I am not isolating myself. This is me just after I got home tonight wearing my bandage...and as it is Tuesday, my toes are here too, I've never done a Toes on Tuesday before! Now I have! I have a new collection of shaved patches on me now, check out the bald patch on my neck, my right leg and you can see my bald pink tummy hanging down too!!! How embarrassing! (Oh...and a bit of food on my mouth too! The indignity of it!)




A HUGE Thank You to you all for coming by and wishing us well and sharing in our troubles and being there for us. I really want to try and visit everyone and say a personal thank you...but tonight we are going to rest up and chill, it's been a very tough and emotional 48 hours. I hope you understand. A very special thank you too for Ann at Zoolatry for the lovely graphic that she made me...what a beautiful thing to do for me xxx

My Next Milestone...

Luckily, it isn't so far away...May 4th is mine and Castle's Gotcha Day. Almost twelve years ago we were Gotcha'd by Meowmie L and Meowmie J. I'll tell you more about our gotcha day on May 4th...

I didn't fancy going to the Vet Place at all today, and it took Meowmie a while to find me this morning, but she got me in the end...I wonder where she found me?



My scan results are not good at all. Not only do I have a bald tummy again but my lymphoma has come back...and not just in one place either. It is on an intestinal loop, one of my lymph nodes and there is some just behind and outside my stomach. Each mass is about 1-2cms big, they are not pushing on anything though, they are just there, unwanted. Ben Vet said he was very upset and holding back the tears when he saw the scan images. He also told Meowmie that he was thinking about us all last night and hoping so much that it was just poo. I am so lucky to have Ben as my vet...

I have four options open to me:

1) One theory suggests that you should treat the lymphoma with the drugs that worked first time round. My protocol was the heavy-going Madison Wisconsin protocol, which included Doxyrubicin (hard-hitting), Cyclophosphamide and Vincristine on rotation (with Prednisolone steroid every other day). It means weekly visits to the Vet Place, day-stays every other week and can be quite intense. Even though I sailed through it first time around, Ben Vet thinks it may not be appropriate so has suggested the COP protocol which is similar to the Mad Wis, but does not include the heavy-hitting Doxyrubicin drug and does not involve day-stays cos the Cyclophosphamide will be in tablet form and not administered intravenously as on the Mad Wis...I would still need to visit Ben Vet weekly though.

2) Leukeran and Prednisolone steroid combination. I was meant to take leukeran as a maintenance drug after my Mad Wis protocol but it made me ill so we had to stop it. It may have made me ill because it was so soon after the Mad Wis protocol, it could possibly not make me ill this time round. Not sure it is worth the risk though.

3) Combination of Vincristine and L-asparaginase drugs. Can cause kidney failure. Ben Vet has had one patient, similar to me who had come out of remission, they treated the cat with this and he did indeed end up getting kidney failure and passed away. This protocol could be amended though to minimise the risk of kidney failure. Also, this protocol is more appropriate as a last effort rescue remedy and should be saved for when all other options run out.

4) Do nothing - manage any nausea and pain with the relevant drugs until the time is right for me to go to the Bridge.

Meowmie asked Ben Vet what sort of time we had left as a family. Ben Vet didn't want to put numbers on it cos, as we know, numbers are just numbers and I have already exceeded expectations once before. However, with pushing, Ben Vet said that with treatment "maybe a few months, could be more, could be less". Bugger :(

Whilst my Meowmies spent a few hours absorbing the info Ben Vet did some further research and called up some of the country's leading oncologists (Susan North who runs this VRCC and Jane Dobson who is a Head of Service and lecturer in Veterinary Oncology at the University of Cambridge) to seek their opinions. He explained the situation (without putting any words into their mouths) and it was suggested that Option Number One - the COP protocol as Ben Vet originally advised us - is the way forward for now.

So, tomorrow morning we all climb aboard the Chemo Rollercoaster once again as I head back to see Ben Vet for the first step of the COP protocol (Vincristine). Hopefully the ride will last for a while...without too many ups and downs and without making me feel ill...

As an aside, we are also trying to determine whether it is nausea or pain that is making me off colour, so yesterday Ben Vet gave me an anti-nausea drug to see how it helped me (slightly sleepy last night, not a great appetite, but ate, bright this morning) and today I have had an opiate to control any pain I might be feeling. I must say, I have been brighter on the opiate drug and ate as soon as I got home today, but I am bit zonked now as should be expected. Meowmie will monitor me more this evening and let Ben know how I get along so we can at least try to get the right drugs into me so I can get back to my old self. This is me right now, on opiates chilling with Buddha maaaan!



THANK YOU ALL for coming by, my Meowmies have been very upset today, making all my furs wet with their tears!!! Your well wishes really do strengthen us and make us feel strong and hopeful. It is wonderful to know that so many of you care...it is quite humbling..what a great bunch of people you are xxx

Today's Vet Visit

Well, since my last vet visit I perked up and ate and got my appetite back pretty much within 24-36 hours of Ben Vet giving me the medicines - but I remained slightly subdued, not myself. Even though I was eating there was nothing coming out the other end, and yesterday morning I was a bit sluggish and Meowmie thought I looked a little uncomfortable, so she gave me an enema - it did the trick and lots came out! I perked up a little...

This morning I was quiet again and showed little interest in food, just a passing lick - which considering it was a bowl full of Applaws chicken was definitely not a good response from me. Luckily we had a vet visit scheduled and we saw Ben Vet today. I have put on a little weight and am back up to 3.76grams - which is good considering that there wasn't so much poo in me today cos of the enema yesterday! Castle came to the vet with me today for a weight check - he is 6.4kgs (14lbs)!!! Ben Vet was not happy and Castle is now having his intake of food strictly monitored.

Now the worrying bit...cos there was less poo in me Ben Vet was able to have a REALLY good feel around my tummy, and he found something that is a little worrying, my intestine feels a bit thickened in one place. Ben said this could either be poo, or unfortunately, the lymphoma making a return visit. Ben Vet said that cos I am off-colour and not myself, that he has to scan me to find out what this 'thickening' may be - so I get a scan tomorrow morning.

It's been a tough day today in our house - but here I am still managing to look majestic and regal despite my problems. Please wish me luck for tomorrow!

PS Meowmie apologises for not being able to help me get around and thank everyone and visit, she hopes you understand xxx

Thankful Thursday

I'm VERY thankful for all the well wishes, purrs and love you have all sent to me and my family. I was going to try and get around to thank you all tonight but our interweb wasn't working and now it is almost bedtime for Meowmie.

Last night I perked up somewhat, had an appetite stimulant (Periactin) and ate some Royal Canin convalescence foods and didn't isolate myself. I joined Meowmie on the bed at bedtime and tussled with Castle for Position Number 1, like I do every night. I was still quiet-ish but not like the night before.

This morning, well, I didn't fancy a big breakfast and ignored the cat food Meowmie put out so she mixed up some Royal Canin convalescence food again, I refused to eat it from the bowl, only from Meowmie's fingers - it took almost an hour of finger-licking to eat the whole bowl up! Meowmie was a bit late for work as a result. Here I am this morning, enjoying my breakfast:



Tonight, well I didn't want any cat food so I had an appetite stimulant and then Meowmie went out and got some chicken for her dinner so she could do a chicken test with me. I passed with flying colours and ate up fair amount of it. For dessert I licked vanilla yoghurt off Meowmie's fingers. This is my Give-Me-The-Chicken-face, can you see the utter desperation in my eyes? Even when I am ill and refuse all other food I still get hungry for chicken! (Can you also see where Ben Vet stole my furs yesterday too!?!!)



So, I still feel quiet and I am still not 'myself'. I feel a bit wobbly on my feet too; tonight I have been stamping/shaking my back leg like Thumper the Rabbit and occasionally I sort of loose my balance, but only very occasionally. This is a new thing and we are a bit baffled as to why I am doing this. We'll ask Ben Vet on Sunday. At least I have eaten though, if only a small to average amount.

I've just settled down next to Meowmie and Castle on the sofa, I have spent a fair bit of time this evening on my own in the hallway, under my chair, but I fancy a stroke or two from Meowmie and a cuddle from Castle right now. Meowmie is fussing over me so much, she is worried, I can tell, specially when she has the occasional eye-leak ...one thing is for sure, she definitely loves me.

Night night...sleep tight xxx

Meezer Rule Wednesday

My rule today is...don't go off your food, don't do sick-ups throughout the night and don't be too quiet and aloof underneath designer chairs, otherwise you will get dragged to the Vet Place for a check-up.

As you can gather, I am not feeling any better today, Meowmie spoke to Ben Vet this morning and he wants to see me ASAP. I have an appointment for 4.45pm. Please wish me luck...we are a little worried and understandably Meowmie is scared that the Lymphoma thing is back...

I don't want to be all doom and gloom so here's an old picture of me in a pink neckerchief that Nurse Ann dressed me up in about a year ago, when I was discharged from an overnight stay at the Vet Place:



UPDATE: Ise back from seeing Ben Vet; i'se had my temperature taken, Ben Vet had a very thorough feel around me and I had some blood tests. Everything is normal, apart from one thing...my ALT levels (which are liver-related) are higher than they should be, but thankfully not to such a level that makes Ben Vet nervous or worried. He said that he knew Meowmie would google ALT levels as soon as she got home so he explained to her that there are hundreds of reasons why ALT levels can be raised and he did not want her to become alarmed from what she would find on the interweb cos it can be caused by something very simple right through to the worst case scenario i.e. the lymphoma is back and affecting my liver. HOWEVER, Ben Vet said that if this was the case, he would expect me to be a very sick kitty indeed, which currently I am not. Ben Vet also suggested that the raised ALT levels might also just be my natural state...and I might just being having a reaction to the prepulsid tablets - and he agreed that Meowmie should stop giving me the prepulsid tablet in case that was the cause.

Ben Vet gave me a Zantac injection a B12 injection and some Sub-Q flooids. Ben Vet is going to closely monitor my ALT levels now, and if I don't perk up within 24 hours to call him for another appointment, he will also carry out further blood tests too. He also said that if I am being a fussy eater that Meowmie can try and tempt me with anything she liked....bye bye exclusion diet! YAY!

Thank you ALL for your purrs and kind thoughts, it means so much. Paws crossed that my ALT levals are indicating nothing serious! xxxx

Under the Weather

I wonder where that saying comes from?

Anyway, I'm feeling under the weather tonight. Meowmie thought I seemed quiet this morning before she left for work and I didn't really have much interest in breakfast. Tonight I am not bothered about my dinner either. I have had a lick or two of yoghurt - which I enjoyed, but Meowmie doesn't want to give me too much of that on an empty tummy. I have also done two liquid sicks today - those are not my 'usual' constipation sicks (which consist of barely digested food).

Meowmie is worried and is going to stop giving me the Prepulsid tablet in case it is making me feel ill. She will also call Ben Vet tomorrow to seek some advice...I have an appointment booked for Sunday but will go sooner if need be. For now I am happy to sit quietly under my Harry Bertoia designer chair, surveying Castle and Meowmie going about our home.

This is our chair - Castle and I have had this since we were kittens! Meowmie J had it at her house, then when she got allergic to us and we got sent to live with Meowmie L, the chair came with us. Isn't Meowmie L lucky - two gorgeous cats AND a designer chair all in one day!

Meezers on Monday

Castle thinks he was the sole subject of this photo, little does he know that I snuck in behind him and got myself in the picture too! Look how smug and proud he looks! He thought he was gonna hijack my Blog for a Mancat Monday, but I ruined it for him and turned it into Meezer Monday! Hahahaha!



Meowmie has been trying to ensure that I am getting plenty to eat, she can't give me treats cos I am supposed to be on an exclusion diet - we thinks that it has been OK to add chicken and pumpkin to the menu over the past few weeks - no 'allergy' sicks, just my regular constipation sicks, but we daren't add anything else to the menu yet. Meowmie also lets me lick yoghurt off her fingers - thanks for the tip Queen Isis! Yoghurt is really lovely, I purr so much when i lick it, and close my eyes in sheer ecstasy at the taste! Ben Vet said I should be careful with it tho cos it could give me the squits cos it is dairy!

Meowmie did the ultimate appetite test with me tonight too - the Chicken Shish Kebab test. When she usually gets a shish kebab from the Greek restaurant across the road I go completely bananas and climb on her and try to steal the food off her plate, or take it from her mouth with my paw. If I ignore the Shish Kebab then there is something wrong with me. I definitely passed the Chicken Shish Kebab test tonight. I don't really know why Meowmie did the Kebab test tonight, my appetite has been absolutely fine - I suspect she used me as an excuse to treat herself to a take-away!

EDIT: Oh my goodness we just learned about a breed of cat called a Kohona Cat (aka Hairless Hawaiian cat). When they are kittens they look like a BRAIN!!!

Kitten:


They seem to grow into their skin/features when they get to adulthood:

Capuchin No!

What a morning! I have just been dragged to the Vet Place for a check-up cos a few days ago my Human thought she felt a large lump on my left side, just below the ribcage. One minute I am sun-bathing on the sofa with Castle, the next I am face to face with a Husky puppy in the waiting room at the Vet Place. He was rather a cute puppy though, and not much bigger than me. He looked exactly like this:



The vehicle I travelled in was of the quality I am fast getting used to! It was a Jaguar! Because my Meowmie lives in the City of London her nearest cab firm is an 'Executive Car' firm, which also operates as a taxi service for us non-executive / non-corporate types. This is why we get nice cars to travel in! They aren't our cars. Meowmie only has a bicycle and a bus pass. Here is today's limo:



The Indian driver was very pleasant, he wasn't sure of the directions to take so we had to show him the way. I don't think his corporate/executive customers would be too happy about his lack of knowledge, but we didn't care cos it was no skin off our nose to give him a few tips on shortcuts. He was also VERY complimentary about me, he said I was gorgeous...and that I reminded him of "one of those things that sits high in the trees, not a monkey, but a..." he couldn't think of the english word for it so Meowmie prompted him, running through the things I usually get mistaken for (Ferret, Stoat, Weasel, Meerkat) and then he suddenly proclaimed "CAPUCHIN! Yes, you look like a capuchin!". Maybe my driver was blind, maybe that is why we had to show him the way to the Vet Place?



We eventually get to the Vet Place and see our lovely Ben Vet who inspected the lump and gently explained to Meowmie that...well...it was my kidney!!! You DAFT woman! And to cap it all off I got given The Most Beautiful Siamese Cat In The World whilst I was there too! All my other vitals were good but I've lost quite a significant amount of weight since my last visit (250 grams, which is half a pound) but there are some factors which may all contribute towards this:

1) I have had a spell of constipation. I strained, pooed and sicked last night and did exactly the same again this morning. So, that's two sicks and two poos since tea-time last night and no time to refill! I should be OK for the next few days now though.
2) The last time I was weighed i was REALLY bunged up 'big time'.
3) My Meowmie has not been leaving foods out during the day for the past week cos Castle is getting badly fat and we need to control his intake of food, so we have been having proper meal times. Hence I am not 'grazing' during the day either.

Ben Vet wants to see me again in a week to monitor my weight, it is very important that my weight remains steady or - even better - increases. On the plus side, both Ben Vet and Nurse Ann said I looked healthy and that my coat was beautiful! Fingers crossed that the drop-in weight is a one-off eh? xxx

Glass Half Full

Well, pretty much immediately after my last post I did some tummy-sick-ups as a result of the constipation; one little sick-up that night and then another the next morning. I also did one today as well. I think the pumpkin don't work. Bugger. We are still going to keep it in my diet though, and we are going to try the Prepulsid tablets now. Maybe with the pumpkin AND the prepulsids we can get things moving a bit better...or maybe I am just destined to have poop problems forever!

On the plus side...I have been in remission for a year now!!! I am not sure of the exact date but it was mid-April last year, halfway through my 26 week Madison-Wisconsin chemo treatment, when we first heard Ben Vet say that I appeared to be in clinical remission! I am now 16 months past initial diagnosis, which isn't bad really when you consider the median survival figure that we were quoted of 6-9 months. I know I am exceeding all expectations, Ben Vet is honest enough to be frank and clear with us about that, but I hope I carry on exceeding expectations for a while longer! Thank you Ben Vet, Caroline Vet and the Nurses for all that you have done, and do, for me.

Me and Castle are teleporting over to Karl's place to help him celebrate his Blogoversary, we think it will be a fitting place to celebrate my year in remission cos all our Blog friends will be there too. See you by the nip fountain!

I'll leave you with these pictures of me and Castle enjoying the sunshine this morning...the last picture is a rare one of me absolutely fast asleep, completely sparko. I usually hear when people try to creep up on me but on this occasion I didn't, I bet I was dreaming about chicken...i am almost smiling in my sleep! Meowmie likes to kiss my cheek just where the dark brown fur turns light brown.

Awards & Pigeons!

Oh my goodness...Meowmie finally switched on her pooter and I have got TWO awards! *boggles*

My first award is from the handsome and adorable Chairman Mao and is called the Heart of Gold Award. The Award was created by Ariel and this is the thinking behind it...

"Everyone knows someone who goes beyond. A person who always helps others, always has a kind word, a person with a heart of gold. So I told mom I wanted to make an award we could give to those we think deserve it."



I'm so chuffed to have been considered for this award especially by such a lovely fellow as Mao. I am sure this has been given out quite extensively as there are so many thoughtful cats here, so I apologies if you already have it (everyone deserves it!) but I am going to pass this award on to Princess, Chey and Latte.

My next award was given to me by the cute Boy! Boy thinks I am totally HIP! Yay! So he gave me the Totally Hip Blogger Award. Again, apologies if you already have this but I am going to pass this on to Daisy and Karl over at The Cat Realm!



Well, it's that time of year again (and am I very glad to see it once again!)...Yup, it's Pigeon Time!!! The pigeons are increasing in numbers and they like to roost on the roof of our balcony, which we can see from our sitting room window. They do this on purpose to wind me and Castle up, they know we can't get at them. They flap about, waddle around, coo and make a racket in order to get our attention. I try my best to ignore the little buggers but Castle spends hours swearing at them from his perch by the window. Check him out here, getting annoyed by one single pigeon...

...but can you blame him when the little buggers do this to him!!! They PARADE about on the sill RIGHT IN FRONT of our noses, staring at us and winding us up, just inches away through the glass!!! Then when Castle tries to kill them through the glass, they just FLY BACK again and carrying on parading!

I'm doing well, haven't been sick since Sunday - I have still been straining to 'lay eggs' but not to the point where my Sick Up Switch is flicked on and I chuck up afterwards. So maybe the pumpkin is making things easier for me...3 days without an incident is quite good but not unheard of. If we get to 4 or 5 days without incident then I think is a sign the pumpkin is doing its job.

The Book MeMe

My beautiful, stunning and handsome face-twin Yao-Lin tagged me for the Book Meme.

Here are the rules:

1. Pick up the nearest book.

2. Open to page 123

3. Find the fifth sentence.

4. Post the next three sentences.

5. Tag five people and post a comment to Mickey once you have posted it.

The following is from "Watching The English" by Kate Fox, I refer to this in order to be able to better understand the Humans that are in my life. The book is very humorous and the author has obviously spent years observing the subject matter cos she has the English down to a T. All I can say is, from an anthropological point of view, those Beans are well weird!!! Almost as weird as blogging cats, but not quite *hee hee*

Some traces of this upper-class squeamishness about house-display have trickled down, at least to the middle classes; they may indulge in a bit of showing off of conservatories and so on, but there are often hints of awkwardness or embarrassment. They will lead you to their new pride-and-joy kitchen, but will then attempt to appear dismissive or indifferent about it, making modest, self-effacing remarks such as "Well we had to do something - it had got into such a state", damning themselves with faint praise - 'At least it's a bit brighter with the skylight"; or focusing on the inevitable difficulties ('nightmares') involved in the refurbishment; "It was supposed to take a week, but we've had plaster and dust and total chaos in here for over a month'. Unlike the higher castes, however, these modest middles will not be offended by praise, although it is generally advisable to be vague rather than specific in your compliments.

I think this one has been doing the rounds for a while so if you have already done it I apologise, but I would like to tag:

Rashbre

Princess

Meaouwy Troops

Moki

Sunny's Mommy

Now, onto my usual poo update. I have been on the pumpkin for a few days now, we haven't seen an immediate improvement as yet, but Meowmie feels there is slightly less evidence of constipation problems - i.e. drop in frequency of vomiting and no so many klegnuts on my bed. Unfortunately, after straining in my tray I have recently been running to my bed and finishing the job on there, hence the klegnuts (very unlike me, I have always been VERY particular about using my tray!!!). Meowmie thought my cat litter might be hurting my paws when i was exerting effort to strain in the tray so she has also changed my litter to a smaller granule one (Swheat Scoop). So the absence in klegnuts on my bed could either be the softer litter or the pumpkin having some effect. Time will tell...

Now onto my tummy sick-ups. I haven't done any non-constipation vomiting i.e. immediately after a strain, which hopefully means the re-introduction of chicken into my diet is OK and I am not allergic to it (PLEASE LET THIS BE TRUE!!!). Meowmie is mixing the pumpkin with organic chicken cat foods so I can eat it. Meowmie has also ordered some Applaws natural Chicken and Pumpkin cat food which she will add extra pumpkin to when she feeds it to me (thanks for the tip-off Ramses!). Meowmie has also found organic chicken and squash baby food in Waitrose and she has a jar of that on stand-by ready for mixing purposes too if all else fails (thanks Chairman Mao for the hint about this!). Dear Ben Vet, if you are horrified about this please let us know!.

If Waitrose, Swheat Scoop or Applaws are reading this blog please feel free to contact me for sponsorship opportunities to help me pay for my vet care! You scratch my back and I'll scratch yours, literally. I really think your brands compliment each other and your target markets are of a similar demographic, animal-loving ABC1s who are conscious about the environment and the food supply so if you ALL want to sponsor me I am sure I can accommodate you all. *hee hee*

Meezers Need New Home

If any of you know of a kind, loving, warm, dedicated, adoring, human with unconditional love to give to two Meezers then please let me know their details - I know of two beautiful Meezers that are currently living with a mean human who doesn't appear to love them very much at all, and the sooner we can get these two Meezers into a loving home the better. Here is a sorry tale of neglect which I am sure you will agree is unacceptable...

Last Wednesday night when the moon was high in the sky the bad human in question left the house with a big bag in her hands. Before she left she kissed the Meezers and said "See you soon - I will miss you so much" and then *pfffft* she was gone. The next day, as the sun was starting to fade and the moon was not far off returning, it became obvious that the two Meezers had been cruelly abandoned. The two Meezers hung their heads low and huddled against the radiator together, sad and alone and starving to death. But hark! What was that sound? It was the key in the front door and the lock was turning and the human had returned!!! But it was a different human! SCREEAAM! Quick hide! Under the sofa NOW!!!!

The two Meezers quivered under the sofa, barely able to breathe with fear...and then the new human reached under the sofa and pulled out the female Meezer and forced a tablet down her mouth. The male Meezer just sat by like a big fat useless chicken whilst his sister was man-handled by a stranger. Then the stranger tried to make friends with the two Meezers and put some food down for them and changed their litter-box. The male Meezer broke rank and fell for this bribery and headed over to the stranger for love and affection!!! The female Meezer sort of understood the male Meezer's desperate need for love and affection due to the absurd amount of time that they had now been left alone for...but there was no way she would show affection to anyone whilst she was feeling so abandoned. For the next two days this series of events repeated themselves, but by Day Three the female Meezer decided she would allow the new human to touch her and give her affection - afterall, the new human was kind and took good care of the two of them.

On Day Four, when the moon was fat and large in the sky, the lock turned again and this time it was the old Human - she had returned! She scooped up the two Meezers in her arms and squeezed them and kissed them and said sorry for going away to MOUSEHOLE without them...the two Meezers were confused, they thought they were going to MOUSEHOLE too....but no! The perfect sounding holiday for a cat and the Human goes alone...Can you believe it? Us neither.

Apparently, the following pictures are from Mousehole, not that we would know what Mousehole looks like, we'll just have to take our Human's word for it...!!!

I wonder if Meowmie felt guilty when she saw the name of the train taking her on holiday.


Mousehole was unsurprisingly a village full of cats...


...and birds...yummy!


Here is the harbour...



...and the mousehole-sized harbour entrance from which it is said the village gets its name.

Despite the neglect I was only sick twice whilst we were abandoned. I started having some tinned pumpkin yesterday to help with my constipation troubles - Meowmie had to mix it up with some organic chicken cat food so I would eat it. So I guess that's my exclusion diet out of the window. Meowmie figured that organic chicken cat food would be a better option than baby food (the UK stuff has onions in it) or regular cat food, the less additives the better. The catfish and tapioca food will remain the bulk of my diet obviously - the pumpkin/chicken mix will be a side dish so to speak! We'll just have to wait and see what happens now...if I am still being sick then Meowmie will have to think of another way to feed the pumpkin to me in case it is the chicken making me sick; and if I carry on getting constipated then we will go to the prepulsids. Oh, and if you are trying to find canned pumpkin in the UK you can buy it at Waitrose. Meowmie had a nightmare trying to find it, I guess it is more of an American thing. Here is the stuff I am eating...



Oh...did anyone see the report about the colony of flying penguins that has been discovered? This is too cute! Click on this link to see the video: FLYING PENGUINS